Multiple harness strap quick release buckle

ABSTRACT

A MULTIPLE HARNESS STRAP QUICK RELEASE BUCKLE FOR FIRST RELEASING THE SHOULDER STRAPS AND THEN THE RESTRAINT BELT AROUND THE WAIST OF THE USER. THIS BUCKLE COMPRISES PAIRS OF PIVOTED, SPRING-BIASED LOCKING DOGS HAVING CAM PORTIONS WHICH ARE OPERATED BY STRAP INSERTIONS TO MOVE THE DOGS TO LOCKED POSITION. AS THE DOGS GRAP THE STRAP INSERTIONS, SPRING ACTUATED SADDLES MOVE DOWN BEHIND THE DOG   TO PREVENT THEM FROM UNLOCKING. TO MOVE THE DOGS TO UNLOCKED POSITION, A FIRST UNLOCKING DEVICE MUST BE OPERATED PRIOR TO THE OPERATION OF A SECOND UNLOCKING DEVICE FOR RELEASING THE LOCKING DOGS WHICH THEN ARE SEQUENTIALLY UNLOCKED.

R. G. MCINTYRE 3,564,672

MULTIBLE HARNESS STRAP QUICK RELEASE BUCKLE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. Z3,1971 Filed Nov. 2e; 196e' I NVENTOR.

Feb. 23, i971 R, G, MolNTYRE 3,564,672

MULTIPLE HARNESS STRAP QUICK RELEASE BUCKLE Filed Nov. 26, 1968 2Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 24-205.19 5 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A multiple harness strap quick releaselbuckle for rst releasing the shoulder straps and then the restraintbelt around the waist of the user. This buckle comprises pairs ofpivoted, spring-biased locking dogs having cam portions which areoperated by strap insertions to move the dogs to locked position. As thedogs grap the strap insertions, spring actuated saddles move down behindthe dog to prevent them from unlocking. To move the dogs to unlockedposition, a rst unlocking device must be operated prior to the operationof a second unlocking device for releasing the locking dogs which thenare sequentially unlocked.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many present day military aircrew seatsincorporate a single point harness strap buckle which may be quicklyoperated to release the crewman from his seat and/or his parachute andsurvival equipment. Such existing buckles, however, are heavy, bulky anddilicult to operate.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The multiple harness strap quickrelease buckle cornprising the present invention is a restraint devicecomprising a buckle having three springs actuated dual locking dogs forholding the fittings of three straps. As the dogs grap the insertions,spring actuated saddles move down behind the dogs to prevent them fromunlocking. The unlocking means of the device comprises a locking leverand a release lever. When it is desired to release the strap from thebuckle, the locking lever is depressed and the release lever is raised.Raising the release lever cams an intermediate lever downward which inturn pivots the retaining saddles away from the locking dogs. This freesthe harness strap end fittings which are pushed free of the buckle byspring force. The device permits the two shoulder straps to become freeprior to or without freeing the waist strap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is a perspective View of thebuckle with locking and release levers shown in phantom lines;

FIG. 2 is a plan view with a portion of the release lever broken away tomore clearly show the relationship of the various parts;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view takenalong the line 3 3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective View illustrating how the retaining saddlesecures the locking dogs in locked position;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the relationship of the locking dogs onthe buckle base plate;

3,564,672 Patented Feb. 23, 1971 FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken alongthe line 7 7 in FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1 there isshown the multiple harness strap quick release buckle 10 including anupper buckle plate 12 and a lower buckle pate 14 spaced by a stop 16, ablock 18, a spacer 20 and a connector 22, sandwiched therebetween andheld together by appropriate rivets, of which rivets 24, 26 and 28 areshown. Other connecting rivets are shown in other views. The upper plateand base plate are spaced in this manner to permit the insertion ofstrap insertion elements to be held by the buckle. Connector 22 has aloop portion 30y extending outwardly from the buckle plates and has anelongated aperture 32 therein through which a seat belt strap 34 may befixedly secured. Stop 16 and block 18 are spaced apart to permit theinsertion of a strap insertion element from a seat belt strap, notshown. Also, spacer 20 is spaced from block 1S and connector 22 topermit the insertion of a pair of shoulder straps insertion elements,also not shown. Upper buckle plate 12 has a pair of upstanding edgeportions 36, 38 across which a pair of pivot pins 40, 42 extend. Pivotpin y40 pivotally connects a locking lever 44, shown in phantom, to theupper plate and pivot pin 42 pivotally connects a release lever 46 tothe buckle. As will be explained hereinafter with reference to FIG. 6,the locking lever 44 must first be pivoted in order to permit releaselever 46 to be actuated in the release of the strap insertion elements.

Aiiixed to the outer face of upper knuckle plate 12 are mountingbrackets 48, 50 and 52 upon which are pivotally mounted locking dogretaining saddles 54, 56 and 58 respectively. These saddles have pairsof spaced legs, such as legs 60, 62 from saddle 58, which extenddownwardly through openings in the upper base plate 12, such as throughopenings 64 and 66 for legs 60, 62 of saddle 58. Springs 68, and 72 biasthe saddles in such manner that the legs extend downwardly through theseopenings. These saddles have actuating tabs 74, 76 and 78 which may bepressed downwardly in order to lift the saddle legs from their lockingposition between the buckle plates 12, 14. In a manner to be explainedhereinafter, the legs of the saddles engage and retain locking dogs, notshown, which in turn hold the strap insertion elements in lockedposition, all of which will be explained hereinafter.

A rocker assembly 80 is pivotally mounted to pivot pin 40 and has pins82, 84 and 86 extending downwardly therefrom for contact with actuatingtabs 74, 76 and 78, respectively. By making pins 82 and 84 longer thanpin 86, saddles 54 and 56 will pivot before saddle 58 when the rockerassembly 80` is pivoted downwardly. Although not shown in FIG. l, acamming surface underneath release lever 46 causes the downward movementof roc-king assembly 80 when the relase lever is pivoted upwardly. Inthis manner, the release lever 46 may be moved upwardly to a rstposition that will cause the release of the shoulder strap and a furtherupward pivoting movement to cause the release of the seat belt strap.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2 showing in plan View the buckle withseat belt strap 34 rxedly connected to connector extension 30 of thebuckle. Lap belt 88 is connected to strap insertion element 90 andshoulder straps 92, 94 are connected to strap insertion elements 96 and98, respectively. These strap insertion elements, 90, 96 and 98 arepositioned and xedly retained by the buckle 10. Here it can be seen thatthe locking lever 44 and rocker assembly 80 are both pivotally mountedby pivot pin 40 to the upstanding edge portions 36 and 38 of the upperbuckle plate 12, and release lever 46 is pivotally connected by pivotpin 42. The innermost edge 100 of locking lever 44 and innermost edge102 of release lever 46 are in abutting relationship between the pivotpins `40 and 42 so that locking lever 44 must first be pivoted to freeedge 100 from edge 102 of the release lever 46 before the release lever,in turn, can be pivoted. Although the undercarnming surface of releaselever 46 is not shown, it causes the rocker assembly 80 to depress whenthe release lever 46 is raised. Depression of rocker assembly 80 causesthe actuating tabs 74, 76 and 78 of the saddles 54, 56 and 58,respectively, to be depressed. This raises the legs on these saddleswhich were retaining the locking dogs in locked position to preventremoval of strap insertion element 90, 96 and 98. In this manner theraising of release lever 46 frees the strap insertion elements 90, 96and 98 from the buckle 10.

The sectional view in FIG. 3 is taken along the line 3 3 in FIG. 2. InFIG. 3 there is shown the base plate 14 spaced from upper plate 12 towhich mounting bracket 52 is aixed, such as by rivets 104. Saddle 58with downwardly extending legs 60 and 62 is pivotally mounted to bracket52 by pivot pin 106 and spring 72 biases the saddle with the legsextending downwardly, as shown.

The relationship between the retaining saddle and the locking dogs canlbest be understood with reference to FIG. 4. Here there is shown indashed lines the retaining saddle 58 with its actuating tab 78 and legs60 and 62. Saddle 58 pivots on pivot pin 106 such that a downwarddepression on the actuating tab 78 raises the legs 60 and 62. Lockingdogs 108 and 110 are pivotally connected to the base plate, not shown,by pivot pins 112 and 114. These dogs have rearward extensions 116 and118 with an interconnecting tension spring 120 to draw these extensionstogether and thus urge the forward portions 121, 123 of the dogs 108,110 outwardly. Strap insertion element 90 has a narrowed neck portion126 and an enlarged end portion 128 which is retained within the buckleand between the dogs 108 and 110 by the dogs inwardly directed edges 130and 132. Dogs 108 and 110 also have inwardly directed closureprojections 134 and 136 which move the legs of the dogs inwardly whentongue 128 of the strap insertion element 90 is urged against theseprojections 134 and 136. Once this locking operation has been achieved,then the saddle 58 can be released and legs 60 and 62 dropped down onthe outer sides of the locking dogs to retain them in locking positionuntil such time as a downward depression on the actuating tab 78 ofsaddle 58 again releases the dogs for outward movement to unlock andpermit the strap insertion element 90 to be removed.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5 which is the plan view of the base plate14 with dogs mounted and with the upper buckle plate removed. Here itcan be seen that stop 16, block 18, spacer 20 and connector 22 aremounted to the top surface of base plate 14. They are so spaced, andhave such a configuration, that sets of locking dogs may be positionedinbetween. In addition to their function of maintaining suitable spacingbetween the bottom and upper buckle plate, they serve to limit the outermovement of the locking dogs.

Since all three pairs of locking dogs operate in the same manner,reference need be had only to the one set for locking the seat beltstrap insertion element 90 to the buckle. Here the insertion element hasbeen moved 4 fully inwardly in the direction of the arrow 138 so thatthe end 128 is in contact with the inwardly directed actuators 134 and136. This, in turn, urges the forward legs of dogs 108 and 110` inwardlyagainst the neck portion 126 and thus confine the head 128 inwardly ofthe cammed surfaces 130 and 132 and thus prevent its dislodgement. Asexplained previously, the saddle has legs that drop downwardly andoutwardly of the legs to retain them in this confined position. When thesaddle has been moved upwardly, the tension spring 120 causes theforward legs of the dogs to pivot outwardly such as shown by dashedlines 140 and the inwardly directed closure proejctions 134 and 136 givethe end portion 128 of the strap insertion element an outward nudge.

FIG. 6 is edge view which illustrates how the locking lever 44 and therelease lever 46 may be used in the actuation of the buckle. Both leversare pivotally mounted to the upstanding edge portions 36, 38 of theupper buckle plate 12. As can be seen, locking lever 44 is pivotallymounted to edge portion 36 by pivot pin 40 and release lever 46 ispivotally mounted on pivot pin 42. Positioning springs 138 and 140releasably retain these levers in the position shown with edges and 102of the two levers in abutting relationship. Lever 46 has a camundersurface 142 which will depress rocker assembly 80 when lever 46 ispivoted upwardly. This, in turn, causes pin 86 on the end of the rockerassembly to depress actuating tab 78 on saddle 58 to, in turn, raise thelegs of the saddle to permit the insertion or withdrawal of strapinsertion element 90, not shown. Leg 60 is shown in its upper positionby dashed lines 144. As stated previously, the pins on the undersurfaceof the rocker asembly may be of varied lengths whereby they will depresstheir corresponding actuating tabs in a desired sequence for selectivelyreleasing certain of the strap insertion elements.

A safety feature has been provided to prevent the accidental pivoting ofrelease lever 46. Release lever 46 cannot be pivoted when locking lever44 is in the position shown whereby lever edges 100` and 102 are inabutting relationship. However, by first depressing locking lever 44 toremove its edge 100 from contact with edge 102 of release lever 46, thenlever 46 may be pivoted to permit the cam surface 142 to depress therocker assembly 80. FIG. 7 is an elevational view taken along the line 77 in FIG. 6. In this view, the upper buckle plate 12 is spaced fromlower plate 14 by connector 22 and block 20. Upstanding edge portions 36and 38 on the top surface of upper plate 12 supports pivot pin 40` whichprovides for the pivotal movement of rocker assembly 80 and lockinglever 44, with spring 138 maintaining the locking lever 44 in itslocking position.

Having thus described an illustrative embodiment, it is obvious thatother variations will occur to one skilled in the art. For example, inthe raising of release lever 46 a predetermined amount, certain of thestrap insertion elements may be released by selective contact betweenthe pints on the undersurface of the locking element and the actuatingtabs of the locking saddles. The actuating taibs may be positionedvertically by selected amounts and the pins on the undersurface of therocking assembly may be varied in length or of a uniform length. As therelease lever 46 is further pivoted, then selected other strap insertionelements may be released.

What is claimed is: .1. A multiple harness strap quick release bucklecomprising:

a plurality of pairs of locking dogs each adapted to receive a strapinsertion element therebetween;

retaining saddles for releasably retaining said dogs in locked position,said saddles being pivotally mounted to release said dogs and permittheir movement from locked position; and

means for pivoting selected saddles to thus release selected strapinsertion elements from said buckle.

2. A multiple harness strap quick release buckle according to claim 1wherein said saddles have actuating tabs and wherein said means contactssaid tabs in predetermined sequence.

3. A multiple harness strap quick release buckle according to claim 1wherein said means includes a pivotally mounted release lever having acamming undersurface for pivoting selected saddles as said release leveris pivotally moved.

4. A multiple harness strap quick release buckle as recited in claim 3wherein said means includes a pivotally mounted rocker assembly actuableby said camming undersurface, said rocker assembly having contact pinsthereon for engaging and pivoting said saddles.

5. A multiple harness strap quick release buckle in accordance withclaim 4 wherein said pins are of varied length to release said saddlesin a predetermined sequence as said release lever is raised.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,685,924 8/1954 Van Haaften24-205.17WX

3,404,439 10/1968 Jones 24230.1TWX

FOREIGN PATENTS 540,759 12/1931 Germany 24-205.17

678,171 7/1939 Germany 2li-205.17

219,980 7/ 1924 Great Britain 24-205.17

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 24-230, 205.17

